My wife Beth and I have lived in many towns and different states in our lives. One factor common to the different locations is that each community had people who stepped forward and went above and beyond. We in Suffield have many past examples of such people: Lester Smith, Sam Fuller and Janet Banks to name a few.
Recently I met with Bill Hawkins, Suffield Director of Planning and Development. Though not a resident he works tirelessly to better our community. For the past three years Bill, along with resident, Kevin Sullivan, has worked to bring a solar project to town that not only benefits the environment but brings the town additional income for 20 years.
The origin of this project came from the desire to help the environment and find ways to bring additional revenues into the budget. Bill and Kevin found Kirt Mayland, an attorney who specializes in environmental solar projects. The initial idea was to find a site that would not take away land that could be used for farming and minimize construction costs.
It was determined that the Suffield Landfill would be a good location. The project would need 5.8 acres. Unfortunately, the panels could not be located in the back of the landfill. The land in the back of the landfill has old landfill collections and other land needs to left open for future landfill needs. The location also has to be cleared of trees enough to allow the sun to shine on the panels. This means the project will be located near the front of the landfill 100 feet back from the road. When the project is approved it will have some landscaping to reduce its visibility from the road.
The project went out to bid and Verogy was selected and won the bid and will be responsible for construction, management, and maintenance. Beyond making the land available, there are no costs to the town. Verogy will be responsible for mowing the grass and maintenance on the solar panels.
The benefit of this project to Suffield is an annual $65,000 for twenty years or $1.3 million dollars over the life of the contract. At the end of twenty years, Verogy has three extension option periods of five years each that they could exercise at their discretion.
The solar project is far from finalized. It still must be approved by Planning and Zoning, Conservation Commission and a town meeting. This process will probably take at least four to six months or longer. If I have learned anything about politics, one is never certain which way the wind blows. Regardless of what the town decides, a big thanks to Bill Hawkins and Kevin Sullivan for their efforts to bring this project forward.